Forest's Krysalka accepts UF's offer

Danny Krysalka earned Class 7A second-team all-state honors, as well as all-county and all-district selections as a kicker and punter this past season for Forest High School.

Doug Engle/Star-Banner/File

By Richard BurtonCorrespondent

Published: Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 7:18 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 7:18 p.m.

Danny Krysalka picked the right time to show off his talents.

By his senior year, the Forest High School kicker and punter was already well known as a game-changing weapon locally, but he put together an impressive performance late in the season that helped him earn a preferred walk-on offer from the University of Florida.

On Wednesday, Krysalka accepted that offer during a National Signing Day ceremony at FHS.

Krysalka earned Class 7A second-team all-state honors, as well as all-county and all-district selections as a kicker and punter. He also extended an impressive tradition of FHS kickers, a list that includes Judd Davis (Florida), Daniel Lincoln (Tennessee) and Chris Veron (South Florida).

Krysalka caught the eye of the UF staff when FHS played Gainesville Buchholz on a Thursday night in late October. Brian White, UF’s running backs coach, was on hand at the game to watch his son, a Buchholz freshman.

Buchholz won the game, but Krysalka emerged as a winner that evening, too.

“I had been under the radar and that night I was kicking very well,” Krysalka said. “(White) was like ‘This kid is punting real well.’ I was getting like mid-four-second hang time, and (White) went and got his stopwatch.

“After that, (Davis) put in a good word for me and White kept bringing my name up, and I finally got in contact with (UF head coach Will) Muschamp and (then-UF special teams coordinator D.J.) Durkin.”

Krysalka sent UF a film that included his career-best 52-yard field goal he struck last season.

“That really opened their eyes,” he said. “That and Coach White kept bringing my name up.

The Citadel, Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) and Florida International were among the programs that offered Krysalka scholarships, while Fordham (N.Y.), Wofford (S.C.), Western Kentucky and Florida Atlantic were also interested in acquiring Krysalka’s services.

Krysalka’s first love was soccer, a sport he began playing at the age of 3 and continued as his primary sport up until eighth grade, when he had a change of heart.

“I was like ‘I’m a big kid and maybe I should give football a shot,” Krysalka said.

He met former Trinity Catholic kicker Bill Hagar and began learning the craft.

“He really showed me the basics of kicking,” said Krysalka, who still practices kicking with Hagar to this day. “I made a 55-yarder as an eighth-grader. Then I had a decision to make. I played JV as a freshman (in football) and then played soccer, and soccer kind of messed up my form.

“I had to make a decision and I decided to stick with kicking and drop soccer. I really became committed to it.”

The choice to leave soccer behind wasn’t easy, but in the end, it was the right one for Krysalka, whose older sister Shanna played soccer at Forest and earned a scholarship to Stetson.

“(Soccer) was a big part of my life growing up,” said Krysalka, who began playing on travel teams at the age of 9. “(My sister) and I lived, ate and breathed soccer, but I definitely made the right move to stick with football.”

During his Forest career, Krysalka continued to work both independently and alongside both Hagar and Davis.

“It was me, myself and I out there every day at practice,” he said. “I really had to focus and teach myself and get to the point that I know what (good kicking) looks like.

“(Hagar and Davis) were big helps when I was able to get together and kick with them, because they really helped me when I felt that my form was getting loose.”

Davis, like Krysalka, went from FHS to UF as a walk-on.

The former Gator has worked on many aspects of the kicking game with Krysalka.

“He’s been through UF as a walk-on and he really talked to me about what to expect,” Krysalka said. “As far as kicking, he taught me how to kick off the ground. In high school, you use a one-inch tee, but in college you kick off the ground, so he really helped me get the correct form.”

He’ll now compete with several other kickers for the starting kicker spot left open by the graduation of Caleb Sturgis.

Krysalka likes his chances to compete for playing time.

“(Florida) really values special teams, and its special teams players are treated just like the rest of the team,” he said. “I am looking forward to having the chance to compete. Some other schools don’t value special teams that much, but I am very optimistic about things.”

<p>Danny Krysalka picked the right time to show off his talents.</p><p>By his senior year, the Forest High School kicker and punter was already well known as a game-changing weapon locally, but he put together an impressive performance late in the season that helped him earn a preferred walk-on offer from the University of Florida.</p><p>On Wednesday, Krysalka accepted that offer during a National Signing Day ceremony at FHS.</p><p>Krysalka earned Class 7A second-team all-state honors, as well as all-county and all-district selections as a kicker and punter. He also extended an impressive tradition of FHS kickers, a list that includes Judd Davis (Florida), Daniel Lincoln (Tennessee) and Chris Veron (South Florida).</p><p>Krysalka caught the eye of the UF staff when FHS played Gainesville Buchholz on a Thursday night in late October. Brian White, UF's running backs coach, was on hand at the game to watch his son, a Buchholz freshman.</p><p>Buchholz won the game, but Krysalka emerged as a winner that evening, too.</p><p>“I had been under the radar and that night I was kicking very well,” Krysalka said. “(White) was like 'This kid is punting real well.' I was getting like mid-four-second hang time, and (White) went and got his stopwatch.</p><p>“After that, (Davis) put in a good word for me and White kept bringing my name up, and I finally got in contact with (UF head coach Will) Muschamp and (then-UF special teams coordinator D.J.) Durkin.”</p><p>Krysalka sent UF a film that included his career-best 52-yard field goal he struck last season.</p><p>“That really opened their eyes,” he said. “That and Coach White kept bringing my name up.</p><p>The Citadel, Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) and Florida International were among the programs that offered Krysalka scholarships, while Fordham (N.Y.), Wofford (S.C.), Western Kentucky and Florida Atlantic were also interested in acquiring Krysalka's services.</p><p>Krysalka's first love was soccer, a sport he began playing at the age of 3 and continued as his primary sport up until eighth grade, when he had a change of heart.</p><p>“I was like 'I'm a big kid and maybe I should give football a shot,” Krysalka said.</p><p>He met former Trinity Catholic kicker Bill Hagar and began learning the craft.</p><p>“He really showed me the basics of kicking,” said Krysalka, who still practices kicking with Hagar to this day. “I made a 55-yarder as an eighth-grader. Then I had a decision to make. I played JV as a freshman (in football) and then played soccer, and soccer kind of messed up my form.</p><p>“I had to make a decision and I decided to stick with kicking and drop soccer. I really became committed to it.”</p><p>The choice to leave soccer behind wasn't easy, but in the end, it was the right one for Krysalka, whose older sister Shanna played soccer at Forest and earned a scholarship to Stetson.</p><p>“(Soccer) was a big part of my life growing up,” said Krysalka, who began playing on travel teams at the age of 9. “(My sister) and I lived, ate and breathed soccer, but I definitely made the right move to stick with football.”</p><p>During his Forest career, Krysalka continued to work both independently and alongside both Hagar and Davis.</p><p>“It was me, myself and I out there every day at practice,” he said. “I really had to focus and teach myself and get to the point that I know what (good kicking) looks like.</p><p>“(Hagar and Davis) were big helps when I was able to get together and kick with them, because they really helped me when I felt that my form was getting loose.”</p><p>Davis, like Krysalka, went from FHS to UF as a walk-on.</p><p>The former Gator has worked on many aspects of the kicking game with Krysalka.</p><p>“He's been through UF as a walk-on and he really talked to me about what to expect,” Krysalka said. “As far as kicking, he taught me how to kick off the ground. In high school, you use a one-inch tee, but in college you kick off the ground, so he really helped me get the correct form.”</p><p>He'll now compete with several other kickers for the starting kicker spot left open by the graduation of Caleb Sturgis.</p><p>Krysalka likes his chances to compete for playing time.</p><p>“(Florida) really values special teams, and its special teams players are treated just like the rest of the team,” he said. “I am looking forward to having the chance to compete. Some other schools don't value special teams that much, but I am very optimistic about things.”</p>